Tuesday, June 23, 2009

This one is from Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-1944), Japanese philosopher and education theorist, who identified the 'central purpose of education as the creation of Value', formed around a belief in the unlimited potential and creativity of every student.

His emphasis on independent thinking and self-motivation challenged the authoritarian Japanese establishment of the early 20th C. They did not like that.

Among his proposals was one for an educational system combining time spent in school, home and the community, 'each of which had responsibility for a specific part of the educational task.'

This was back in the 1920's but still seems pretty innovative thinking today.

He noted; 'Humans cannot create matter: what we can create, however, is value and value only. When we praise persons for their "strength of character," we are really acknowledging their superior ability to create value.'

This one is from Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-1944), Japanese philosopher and education theorist, who identified the 'central purpose of education as the creation of Value', formed around a belief in the unlimited potential and creativity of every student.

His emphasis on independent thinking and self-motivation challenged the authoritarian Japanese establishment of the early 20th C. They did not like that.

Among his proposals was one for an educational system combining time spent in school, home and the community, 'each of which had responsibility for a specific part of the educational task.'

This was back in the 1920's but still seems pretty innovative thinking today.

He noted; 'Humans cannot create matter: what we can create, however, is value and value only. When we praise persons for their "strength of character," we are really acknowledging their superior ability to create value.'